According to reports on Tuesday, the Trump administration will urge United States schools and colleges to adopt race-blind admission standards overturning an Obama-era guideline aimed at encouraging diversity.

This will switch the country back to a policy instituted by the administration of President George W Bush to educational institutions to strongly adhere to race-neutral standards.

“The executive branch cannot circumvent Congress or the courts by creating guidance that goes beyond the law and in some instances stays on the books for decades,” Devin M. O’Malley, the spokesman, told the Times.